Ceuta faces migration crisis as thousands cross uncontrolled from Morocco

This article was first published on Thursday July 30 but is being updated.

Thousands of migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, overwhelming police and emergency services after swimming around the breakwater at the Tarajal border and entering on foot.

Estimates from Ceuta authorities on Friday suggested as many as 60,000 people had entered the enclave unlawfully in recent days, most on Thursday. Of those, around 7,000 were thought to be juveniles.

The population of Ceuta is around 83,000.

There were men, women and children among those who crossed, though most appeared to be young men.

At least 28 people are confirmed to have died in the attempt to swim across.

Authorities in Ceuta asked the Spanish government to declare a national emergency, requesting urgent intervention and the deployment of police and soldiers at the border.

Although a national emergency has not been declared, Spain has sent police and army units to reinforce the border.

The crisis has triggered diplomatic tensions too after Italian ministers including prime minister Georgia Meloni called for Schengen borders to be closed with Spain and France said it would tighten controls at its border crossings with Spain.

The Spanish Government summoned the Italian ambassador in Madrid to make a diplomatic protest.

Speaking in Ceuta on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the mass crossing was “an attack, a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”.

He blamed people trafficking gangs for “deceiving many young people” and thanked Morocco for its cooperation to ensure migrants were repatriated “as soon as possible”.

The EU has offered Spain the assistance of Frontex and has called on Morocco to work with Spain to address the crisis.

But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen left little doubt as to the gravity of the events in Ceuta.

“The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable,” she said on social media.

“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules.”

“Dangerous crossings must stop immediately.”

“Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”

Juan Jesus Vivas, the president of the autonomous city, had warned earlier in the week that Ceuta’s migrant reception centres were already at full capacity and that hundreds of people were sleeping on the streets.

“Yesterday I warned of the extreme gravity of the migration crisis,” he wrote on social media on Thursday.

“Today the situation is even worse: more arrivals, overwhelmed resources, and another life lost at sea.”

“Ceuta needs an immediate, coordinated intervention with all the necessary means.”

“Ceuta needs more resources, infrastructure, coordination, and objective limits to its capacity to welcome people.”

“We are not asking for privileges, but for a fair, responsible response that is in line with our status as Europe's border in Africa.”

The developments come after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that migrants intercepted trying to enter Ceuta by sea could not be immediately returned to Morocco under special fast-track rules that apply to the Spanish enclave’s land border.

The numbers of people entering by sea since that ruling had increased steadily but surged on Thursday at around midday.

Many of those arriving had sustained injuries from the rocky shoreline and authorities in Ceuta were faced with an immediate humanitarian cris that left emergency services overstretched, with hundreds spending the night sleeping on the street.

On Friday morning, most businesses remained closed. Some of those who entered on Thursday returned to Morocco of their own will but other were still trying to cross into Ceuta.

Spanish media reported tense scenes at time in the border area.

But by Friday afternoon, there were reports that as many as 37,000 of those who had entered Ceuta unlawfully had returned to Morocco.

Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said it was working closely with Morocco to tackle the rise in migrant numbers in recent days, which both countries attributed to people trafficking gangs exploiting the court ruling.

But there were claims too that Morocco had eased controls around the Ceuta border angered by a recent visit by Mr Sanchez to Algeria.

Spain’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs rejected those claims and insisted Spain and Morocco maintained excellent relations and were working together to address the crisis.

“The Government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta,” Mr Sanchez wrote on X.

“We are mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible.”

“This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation.”